Office's Creative Chosen by GM for European Minivan Effort
DETROIT--McCann-Erickson's office in Troy, Mich., was chosen to produce a campaign for the Opel Zafira compact minivan in Europe after a creative face-off with other McCann offices and Lowe Lintas & Partners.
The campaign by McCann's Troy office is an important one for General Motors in Europe because the Zafira is one of the company's most important recent vehicle launches and has proven to be a best-seller. GM shops in Europe, which include Lowe Lintas, regularly pitch projects to the company.
McCann's 60-second spot breaks across Europe later this summer. Rhonda Huie and Jeannine Caesar, senior vice presidents and creative directors, were viewing rough cuts last week.
The spot features members of the Pilobolus Dance Theatre of Washington Depot, Conn. To demonstrate the space and flexibil-ity of the vehicle's interior, the dancers move their bodies to create the shape of the minivan's interior, then through special effects their bodies morph into an image of the vehicle.
McCann's Troy office came up with the original creative concept, but work on the campaign has been a team effort with McCann creatives in Europe, said Garry Neel, executive vice president and managing director of the Troy office.
McCann's Frankfurt, Germany, creative team, headed by Bernd Misske, will handle special effects and the print component of the campaign, Huie said.
While it is not unusual for McCann to call upon its offices worldwide for input into European campaigns, it is a coup for the Troy agency's creative department to be chosen over other offices.
Neel, who took his position at McCann in Troy last month, said he has been pleased with the creative work and confirmed that the office is working on another GM Europe effort.
Before coming to Troy, Neel was managing director of McCann's Opel Worldwide Group in Zurich, Switzerland. K